Bottle capping machine with means for controlling the force on capping plungers



Dec. 29, 1953 v BURDlN 2,664,013

BOTTLE CAPPING MACHINE WITH MEANS FOR CONTROLLING THE FORCE ON THECAPPING PLUNGERS Filed Feb. 28, 1949 O 2 Sheets-Sheet l |NVENTOR:

NELSON V.BUPDIN PER ttifig ATTORNEY. I

Dec. 29, 1953 N. v. BURDIN 2,664,013

BOTTLE CAPPING MACHINE WITH MEANS FOR CONTROLLING THE FORCE ON THECAPPING PLUNGERS Filed Feb. 28, 1949 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. 3.

lNvEmoR:

ATTORNEY Patented Dec. 29, 1.953

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BOTTLE-CAPPING' MACHINE WITH MEANS FORCONTROLLING THE FORCE ON CAP- PIN G PLUNGERS Nelson Vincent Burdin,Coventry, England, assignor-to Scotts- Engineering (Newport) Limited,Newport, England Application February 28, 19,149.,v Serial No, 78,695

vide a means of applying a load to thecapping head by resilient means,which means can be loaded and released when desired to effect thecapping operation, without undue variation of strain being incurred bythe driving mechanism of the machine thus obtaining an improved output.

A further object is to provide a construction whereby resilient meansoperate on the bottles to minimise the possibility of fracture thereof.

In the accompanying drawings,

Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of a bottle capping machine accordingto the present invention, and

Figures 2 and 3 are elevations on an enlarged scale of cams employed insaid machine.

Referring to the drawings, a horizontal driven cam shaft 4 is providedwith two cams 5, 6 adapted to engage the lower ends of verticallydisposed followers 1, 8. One cam '5, the profile of which has a gradualrise commencing from the point 9 (Figure 2), bears against the verticalfollower I that engages the lower end of a vertically disposedcompression spring I0. The other earn which features a concentricportion II and fiat portion I2 (Figure 3) along its profile engages theother vertical follower 8, which follower is pivotally secured at itsupper end to one end of a substantially centrally pivoted lever I3pivoted at I4 to a support I5 on the machine frame l6, which lever I3has pivoted at its other end vertical links [1, these links beingpivotally connected at their lower ends to a cap 18 which abuts theupper end of the compression spring Ill. The cap I8 also slidablyengages and is coupled to the extension I9 of the follower I. Theextension I9 is adjustable axially with respect to the follower I.

A beam 20 pivoted on the machine frame I6 engages at one end the upperend of the compression spring Ill through the cap I8 and at its otherend bears on the movable capping member 2I of the capping head 22.

The arrangement is such that as the cam shaft 4 is rotated the gradualrise of the cam 5 causes a compressive force to be exerted on the springI0 from its lower end, whilst the concentric portion I I of the profileof the cam 3 prevents extension of the upper end of the spring ID byreason of the follower 8, pivoted lever I3 and links ll. However, uponthe follower 8 engaging the stepped down concentric portion H the springII] is released a limited degree for initial operation of the cappinghead 22 by means of the pivoted beam 20, whilst upon the follower 8engaging the portion I2 of the profile of the cam 6 the spring I0 isfurther released to effect a final operation of the capping head 22.

Thus it will be seen that whereas the cam shaft 4 can be driven by arelatively low powered driving means to gradually load the spring III,the said spring I0 is released to exert its accumulated load foroperation of the capping head 22.

The compression spring It! also serves the purpose of maintaining bothfollowers 1 and 8 in contact with their respective cams 5, 6 during themain portion of the working cycle.

The follower 8 which engages the second or release cam 6 may be providedalong its length with a suitable screw adjustment 23 so that itseffective length may be varied and so adjust the mechanism. By varyingthe angular position of the two cams 5, B on the cam shaft 4 withrespect to one another, the timing of the release of the spring I0 canbe adjusted, which in turn will time the operation of the capping head22 with respect to other operations performed by the machine.

I claim:

1. In a bottle capping machine comprising a movable capping member, acompression spring, a rotary cam shaft, a cam member mounted on saidshaft, a cam follower moved by said cam member to co-act with one end ofthe compression spring to gradually load said compression spring, asecond cam mounted on said rotary cam shaft, a second cam follower movedby said second cam member, a pivoted linkage one end of which isconnected to said second cam follower, the other end of said linkageco-acting with the other end of the compression spring to release theload on said spring at a predetermined moment and a pivoted beam one endof which co-acts with the compression spring to cause said beam to moveabout its pivot to operate the movable capping member of the cappinghead of the machine.

2. In a bottle capping machine, comprising a movable capping member, acompression spring, a rotary cam shaft, a rotary cam member mounted onsaid shaft, a cam follower moved by said cam member to co-act with oneend of said cornpression spring to gradually load said spring from oneend, a second rotary cam member mounted on said rotary cam shaft drivenin timed relationship with the first cam member, a second cam followermoved by said second cam member, a pivoted linkage one end of which isconnected to said second cam follower and the other end of which coactswith the other end of the compression spring through the pivoted linkageto release the load on said spring at a predetermined moment, and apivoted beam one end of which oo-acts with the compression spring tocause said beam to move about its pivot to operate the movable cappingmember of the capping head of the machine.

3. In a bottle capping machine, comprising a movable capping member, acompression spring, a rotary cam shaft, a rotary cam member mounted onsaid shaft, a cam follower moved by said cam member to co-act with oneend of said con: pression spring to gradually load said spring from oneend, a second rotary cam member mounted on said rotary cam shaft drivenin timed relationship with the first cam member, a second cam followermoved by said second cam member, a pivoted linkage one end of which isconnected to said second cam follower and the other end of which coactswith the other end of the compression spring through the pivoted linkageto release the load on said spring from the opposite end thereof at apredetermined moment, and a pivoted beam one end of which co-acts withthe 4 compression spring to cause said beam to move above its pivot tooperate the movable capping member of the capping head of the machine.

4. In a bottle capping machine, comprising a movable capping member, acompression spring, a rotary cam shaft, a rotary cam member mounted onsaid shaft, a cam follower moved by said cam member to co-act with saidcompression spring to gradually load said spring from one end, a secondrotary cam member mounted on said rotary cam shaft and driven in timedrelationship with the first cam member, a second cam follower moved bysaid second cam member, and pivoted linkage co-acting with the other endof the compression spring, said pivoted linkage one end of which isconnected to said second cam follower to effect an initial release ofload on said compression spring and a subsequent release of load on saidspring in sequence, and a pivoted beam one end of which co-acts with thecompression spring to cause said beam to move about its pivot to operatethe movable capping member of the capping head of the machine.

NELSON VINCENT BURDIN.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 637,316 Woodland Nov. 21, 1899 665,623 Woodland Jan. 8, 1901852,323 Fulenwider et al. Apr. 30, 1907 1,134,626 Loehler Apr. 6, 1915

